Course Overview

Dramatherapists employ the imaginative, symbolic and metaphoric processes inherent to drama and theatre in the live explorations of their clients. They work with others to access their creative capacities, and foster therapeutic relationships that are conducive to building self-understanding, growth and change. The process of playing, moving and enacting in the presence of another can have a positively profound effect on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. A person’s internal world - their experiences and feelings - are given creative and symbolic expression in the external world through different dramatherapy processes and structures. Experiences can be explored and ‘held’ by the safe use of the art form and expressive processes, which may involve role play, stories, movement, masks, puppets/small objects and other materials and methods that engage a person’s imagination. You could work with people of any age and from diverse backgrounds and settings, individually or in groups, supporting them in using dramatic forms to communicate and express themselves and engaging with a whole range of human experiences. The task is to support someone in making sense of their experiences and relationships, including those that cause them distress, by providing a safe, consistent and reliable environment. Utilising different dramatic forms within this therapeutic environment can support someone to develop insight and bring about change. As a student on this course, you will be engaged in an experiential style of learning within your practice group, working alongside others in workshop-based, group processes, in addition to theoretical studies and practice-based learning. Group sessions will include play, dramatic projection, role work, dramatic enactments, movement, symbol and metaphor, storytelling/myth and ritual, and their application to this psychotherapeutic approach. Key learning takes place within the modality of dramatherapy, and a commitment to regular personal therapy throughout the programme. Practice placements, where you will be working with clients, will build on your experiential and theoretical learning and allow you to apply your developing skills. You will engage in regular clinical supervision with an external, registered supervisor, as well as managerial supervision within the practice placement setting. Your learning will be enriched by the interdisciplinary structure of the course as you study alongside your peers from our MSc Art Psychotherapy and MSc Music Therapy, as well as other pathways within the Person-centred Practice Framework.

General Eligibility

Part Time Work Details

Language Requirement

• The minimum IELTS score required is 7